Engine-cooling system



- '1,577,477' H. C. MALLORY ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM,

, March 23 l'1926.

'1 Filed Nay 17 NVENTOR Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNITED LSTATES PATENT oFFlcnf HARRY c. MALLORY, or NEW YORK. N. Y.; SUE n. MALLORY ADMINISTRATRIX or SAID HARRY c. MALLoRY, DECE'ASED. v

ENGIN-cooLING SYSTEM.

Application led May ,17, 1923, Serial No. 639,505. Renewed July 9, 1925.

To all whoml t may. concern.

Be it known thatI I, HARRY C. MALILoRY, a citizen of the United States, and resident ofv New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewI York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Cooling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates' to internal combustion engine cooling systems of the boiling and condensing type in which, as in ordinary automobile use, the to c of the condenser is above and the bottom of the condenser is below the liquid level maintained in the engine` cooling jacket, so that the liquid of condensation will not drain from the bottom of the condenser .into the engine jacket as required to keep the lat-ter supplied with water and to avoid an undesirable accumulation of water in the condenser; and the object of my invention 1s to provide simple and effective means for passing liquid from the condenser back into the jacket without requiring the use o-f the ordinary liquid return pump heretofore employed for that purpose. j To attain the object of my invention` I provide a steam ejector in the connection throughl which the vapor formed in the engine cooling jacket passes into the condenser, and utilize the energy available in the vapor passing through the ejector to effect the desired feed of the cooling liquid from 'the condenser back into the engine cooling space. Preferably I do'not require the ejector to handle all the liquid passed from the condenser into the cooling space, but employ a specialform of condenser comprising a Water holding space in the condenser at the proper level .to feed the cooling jacket by gravity, and provide for a. liquid overflow fromv said space to the hotwell at the bottom of the condenser which thereby fixesthe height of water level in the jacket. This watermholding space is arranged to collect the liquid of condensation formed in the portion of the condenser above it, and the liquid discharged into the condenser in liquid form by the ejector. Advantageously the cooling system is of ,bustion automobile engine.

the type disclosed and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,424,664, granted August l, 1922, in which a constant pressure in the condenser, and an approximately constant boiling temperature in the jacket, are main tained by passing air into and withdrawing it from the condenser to correspondingly vary the capacityof the condenser. the present invention is utilized in the cooling system of my prior patent, a large portion of the vapor passed into the condenser will be condensed in the upper portion of the latter, under lall conditions, and under light load conditions when th-e vapor passing through the ejector is relatively small in amount, and the water lifting capacity of the ejector is correspondingly reduced, the ejector needs to pass but little, if any, liquid in order to prevent an undue lowering of the liquid level in the jacket.v

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawingsand descriptive matter inwhich I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation with parts broken away `and in section of one formof my improved cooling system;

Fig. 2 is a section on the. line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of thevsteam ejector employed; and

Fig. 4 is a partial section taken similarly to Fig. 2 illust-rating a modified construction.

In the drawings and referring first tothe construct-ion shown in Fi s. 1 and 2 A represents the cooling' liquid jacket for the cylinders A5 of'an ordinary internal com- An inlet A is provided at the bottom of the jacket. space for the cooling liquid which will ordinarily be water o'r a Water and alcohol mixture, and A2 represents an outlet for lvapor from the top' of .the jacket. The vapor outlet A2 IVh-en y is connected to the inlet B of,a condenser B by` a conduit which includes an ejector C.

The condenser B may be similar in its general dimensions and arrangement to the radiators employed in ordinary automobile liquid circulation cooling systems. It differs from the condensers heretofore devised for automobiles having cooling systems of. the boiling and condensing type, in that it is divided into separate upper and'lower condensing sections with l a water holding pocket or space B2 at the bottom of the upper v"condensing section which receives the liquid of condensation formed in the upper section of the condenser as well as the liquid passed into the condenser by the ejector C.

as hereinafter described. As shown the upper water receiving pocket is formed by a batlie or partitlion-extending across the condenserbetween the front and rearwalls of the condenser shell but having its upturned end portions lBa spaced away from the side edges of the condenser shell so as'not to obstruct the passage of vapor downward into the lower portion of the condenser, and to permit water to overflow from the upper water pocket Bzuinto the v main condenser hotwell space B at the bottom 'of the condenser.

Both the upper and lower sections of the condenser are traversed by cooling devices shown as the usual horizontal tubes B5 having their open ends expanded and soldered or brazed together to form corresponding portions of the front and rear walls of the condenser shell. Thesel tubes are spaced away from the edges of the condenser shell to form steam distributing channels and flow channels for the water overiiowing the edges B3 of the water space B. In the upper section of the condenser the tubes are arranged in two groups separated by a vertical channel beneath the Iinlet B, and baffles B7 may be provided 4as shown. at the opposite sides ofthis channel to guide liq' uid, entering the condenser through thel inlet B directly into the water space B2, while the tubes Bs are spaced away from the top of the condenser shell to permit the vapor to pass into'the top of the upper tube groups and into the upper ends of channels B. In

- the lower portion of the condenser, tubes B5 are omitted to provide a central air collecting space Bs from which air is withdrawn by a conduit D as hereinafter described, Advantageously water sealed baffles B0 are provided at the bottom of the lower portion of the condenser to further guard against the flow of uncondensed vapor into the air space Bs. As shown, though this is not essential, inclined battles or rain plates B are provided in the lower portion f-the condenser to carry water of condensationA formed innnediately above them to the channels B' and thus increase the eiliciency of 'ith the described arrangement the posi tion of the overflow edges Bof the water space Bz fixes the height of water levelvin the cooling jacket A and these edges are arranged at the proper level for that purpose. The water outlet port Bx2 from the condenser hotwell B is connected by a pipe to the suction chamber C of the steam ejector C,'which is formed, las shown, with the usual impelling jet nozzle C and mixing and delivery nozzle C separated by an annular space opening at its outer edge to the mixing chamber C3. In some cases the pipe G may be provided with a check valve G as shown to prevent downtiow through the conduit. The air pipe D passes through the shell ot' the condenser and is connected to some external air exhausting means which may be a separate pump, but as shown the desired exhausting effect is obtained by connecting the pipe D to the suction intake manifold Af of the engine. The pipeD may be provided with an automatic air valve D' which closes when heated as it will be by the presence of an undue amount of vapor in the air and vapor mixture withdrawn from the condenser. The cooling system shown is provided with a vacuum relief valve H which automatically opens and admits air to the condenser when the vacuum therein exceeds a predetermined amount. Preferably the valve H is made adjustable in the usual way to permit of regulation of the pressure maintained in the condenser.

In the intended operation of the apparatus disclosed, the passage of the vapor generated in the engine jacket A, to the condenser B through thel steam ejector C, creates a minus pressure in the suction chamber C3 of the ejector tending to draw water from the condenser hotwell through The liquid thus passed into Nil izo

case with under all in the jacket, as will be the properly designed apparatus normal conditions except Very`llight loadspace Bf thus tix the normal height ofliquid Vlar 'that the condenser may' -be modi' level' in the jacket. When the cooling -system is arranged and operated in accordance with my prior Patent No.. 1,424,664, -tof regulate the capacity of the 1condenser by varying the accumulation ofair in the condenser, the air in the condenser tendsV to accumulate inthe lower` portion of the condenser and thereby restrict the condensing capacity of the lower. portion of the condenser, so that 'even under moderately heavy loads the bulk of the condensation Will occur in the ,upper portion of thecondenser.

In consequence, the ,amount` of `water which must be drawn .from the condenser hotwell BA1 by the ejector C to maintain .the desired Water level in'the engine jacket' is always comparatively small and reaches its maximum only under maximum lo'ad conditions lwhen the amount of vapor pass-- ,ing lthrough the ejector is correspondingly large'and the liquid handling capacityot the'latter is at a maximum. With a suit- .ably .designed ejector the pressure drop through the condenser-Will bevery small andthe only Aeffect will be to make the actual Water level in the engine jacket A a triiie lower than the Water level :in the space B2. j

The Water returned to the cnginejacket A from the Water space B2 will vnormally be but' little below the temperature `of the vapor leaving the jacket, thus tending to uniform temperatures inthe jacket at different levels therein. The Water drawn from the condenser hotwell through the pipe G will be appreciably cooler than the vapor, so that the water drawn into the vejector will assist materially in condensing the vapor, and thereby correspondingly increases the portion of the liquid collecting in the space B2. To avoid all danger of water lreeaing in the space. B2 when the engine is idle, the latter may be provided with a valve controlled drain, or withV a restricted leakage orifice through which the. space B2 will slowly drain into the hotwell, which may' be insulated, when the engine is idle. The capacity et the leak age orifice, it' used, should be too small, ot course, to pass any appreciable portion ot the water entering the space lz under normal operating conditions.

It will be apparent to those skilied in 'the art that many changes may be made in the :torni of the apparatus shown and in particu- .d greatly in forni, and one such inoditicaticn -is illustrated by way of'exainple in Fig. 4. The bottom Wall of theupper` space B2 ot' the condenser BB shown in Fi g. 4, is extend' ed at one side of' the-condenser to close Jdie upper end of one of the side channels B and a water sealed baille B1 is provided' to prevent vapor from passing into the lower end'of that channel to the upper end of which the air exhausting pipe D is connected.- The intended `operation of the form of apparatus illustrated in Fig. 4 is essentially. `the same 'as that illustrated in--Figs. l, 2

land 3. The vcli'annel'B to'whicli the pipe is connected thus serves as the air collecting space of the condenser. In Fig. 4 the condenser inlet B is shown as located iniincdiately above the water space B2 and below the upper condensing section .of the condenser. This decreases the height 'of Water lift required from the ejector C. l

i 'While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I havey illustrated and described the best forms of my invention now known tol me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of iny invention as set forth in the apended claims, and that certain features'o my invention may sometimes be` used Without a corresponding-use of other features.

'Having now described my invent-ion, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLet-v 'ters Patent, is:

l. In an internal combustion engine of the boiling and condensing type comprising a cooling jacket and a condenser having one',

portion located above the desired Water level in the jacket and another portion including the condenser liotwell located below that level, the improvement which consists in a vapor connection, including a steam ejector provided with a suction chamber, between 4thel upper portion of the jacket and the upper portion of thecondenser, a conduit con- ,necting said suction chamber tothe condenser hotwell, andmeans for collecting liquid of condensation formed in the yupper poi'- tion of the condenser and liquid discharged intothe condenser by the ejector, and passing the liquid thus collected by gravity into said cooling space as required to maintain said level. e

2. In an internal combustion engine cooling system of the boiling and condensing type comprising a cooling jacket and a condenser having one port-ion located above thi desired water level in the jacket and anothcL portion including the condcnscr hotwcll located below that level, vthe improvement 'which consists in a vapor connection, including a steam ejector jfirovided with a suc tion chamber, between the upper portion et the jacket and the upper portion et' the con denser, a conduit connecting said suction Chamber to the condenser hot-well, and 'liquid discharge into the condenser by the means ,Comprising n water holding space ejector and supplying liquid to said cooling loca-led in the condenser and a gravity disspace as required to maintain said level. l0 charge therefrom-to said jacket and an'over- Signed :it New York in the county of 5 flow therefrom to the condenser hotwell, for New' York and State'of New York this 16th collectingl liquid of condensation formed in day of'May A. D. 1923. the upper portion of the condenser and HARRY C. MALLORY. 

